With no errors detected, Li Hao Chen was thrilled, but his excitement was only visible externally. He was no longer a reckless youth. Greed could move hearts, and he could tell from the owner's expression that he might have ulterior motives. Li Hao Chen put away the lottery ticket and bolted without looking back.
He dared not go to any secluded areas, only breathing a sigh of relief when he reached the entrance of a police station. He then quickly hailed a Didi.
Looking at the Didi car's location on the app's map, it didn't budge. Li Hao Chen grew anxious and flustered waiting. If it weren't for the occasional presence of police officers, he would have rushed into the station.
Every time someone passed by or approached, Li Hao Chen tensed up, fearing they might suddenly pull out a knife. In reality, he was being overly sensitive. In this peaceful era, there weren't so many illegal activities happening. Moreover, he was right outside a police station; that would be equivalent to a birthday star seeking death.
Ten minutes later, the long-awaited Didi finally arrived. He immediately leaped into the back seat. "Driver, drive fast."
Li Hao Chen's nervousness and urgency startled the driver. "Boss, what's wrong? Are you being chased? Don't worry, I'll accompany you into the police station."
The driver was also a kind-hearted person. Li Hao Chen gave him a big thumbs up. It was rare to find someone who wasn't bothered by trouble and was willing to help these days.
"Uh… nothing like that, brother. My wife is waiting at home, and I need to get back quickly." Li Hao Chen fabricated a story.
"Oh, I understand. Don't worry, I definitely won't delay you. Heh heh!"
"..."
The driver's skills were superb. He drove fast without making anyone uncomfortable, and he didn't deliberately take detours or run red lights, which was truly commendable.
Fifteen minutes later, the car stopped steadily at the entrance of Dalong Village. Li Hao Chen thanked the driver and sprinted home.
In his haste to get home, he pushed the iron gate too forcefully upon entering, causing it to slam violently against the wall and make a loud noise. This startled the two women who had just returned from cooking pork belly.
"What are you doing? You're so big, yet you're still so clumsy. If the door breaks, it'll cost money. Honestly." Xie Baolian looked at Li Hao Chen as if she wanted to kick him a couple of times.
"It's nothing, it's nothing. If it breaks, we'll get a new one. We're not short of money, heh heh!" Li Hao Chen, with drool running down his chin and a silly grin, was quite annoying. Just as Xie Baolian was about to twist his ear, he slipped away.
"Mom, your tactics don't work anymore, hahaha."
Just as Li Hao Chen felt smug, he didn't realize Murong Yanran was ready to deal with him. The moment he entered her attack range, she immediately used her "Twisting Hand Technique." "Ouch, ouch, ouch!"
Xie Baolian walked over with a smile and joined the fray, causing Li Hao Chen to repeatedly beg for mercy. After a while, they stopped. The two women even triumphantly high-fived each other, leaving Li Hao Chen with a darkened expression.
"Tell us, what has you so happy? Don't tell me you stepped in dog poop again."
"Uh… Mom, how did you know?"
"Really?"
"How could it be fake? Look." Li Hao Chen happily took out the scratch-off ticket from his pocket.
Xie Baolian snatched it away, almost tearing a corner. Li Hao Chen's heart leaped. "Oh my, you scared me to death! If it gets ruined, the money will be wasted."
"Tsk, such thick paper. If it tears easily with just a couple of tugs..." Xie Baolian stopped mid-sentence, stunned by the prize amount. She took the ticket and examined it meticulously. Seeing that it was unharmed, she let out a heavy sigh of relief.
"Phew, you scared me to death. Fortunately, it's okay."
Xie Baolian held the ticket like a treasure, cherishing it even more than Li Hao Chen. She then carefully put the ticket back into her bag.
"Yanran, those jade bracelets I saw earlier were quite beautiful. Let's buy one for each of us tomorrow."
"No, Mom, why are you putting the lottery ticket in your bag?"
"Didn't I just say? We're buying jade bracelets. This money is just enough."
Li Hao Chen's expression darkened. He said, a little speechless, "Mom, we haven't even cashed it in yet."
"Oh, is that so? Alright, tomorrow you cash it in and send me a million. I'm tired, I'm going to wash up and sleep." Xie Baolian suddenly realized, gave the ticket back to Li Hao Chen, and went upstairs.
"Great, I win the lottery and have to pay up. From now on, I hope I don't win..."
"Alright, you got the benefit and you're still complaining. Aren't you happy that you won? I wish you'd win a hundred million, then I could buy and buy! Heh heh!"
"I was just saying. Of course, I'd be happy to win the grand prize. Okay, hurry up and go wash up. I'll give you a massage later."
Half an hour later, Murong Yanran came out wearing a small nightgown and lay on the sofa, looking at her phone, waiting for Li Hao Chen to come out.
Ten minutes later, Li Hao Chen also came out. He walked up to Murong Yanran and immediately touched her. The nightgown was made of silk, very thin and smooth, feeling like she was wearing nothing at all.
"Don't move around, or I'll spank your bottom." Murong Yanran mischievously swung her leg back and forth, preventing Li Hao Chen from concentrating on the massage.
Murong Yanran ignored Li Hao Chen's threat.
Li Hao Chen was only joking. He wouldn't actually hit her, but he dared to pat her a couple of times. As soon as he did, Murong Yanran turned over and glared at him, her face flushed with embarrassment, looking incredibly cute.
She then turned back and lay down, grumbling for Li Hao Chen to continue. Ten minutes later, Murong Yanran actually fell asleep. He carried her back to the room, tucked her in, kissed her a couple of times, and then returned to his own room to sleep.
The next morning, when Li Hao Chen woke up, Murong Yanran and Xie Baolian were already waiting for him. "Hurry up and eat breakfast. We're going to cash in the ticket later."
"Why the rush? We have..." Seeing Xie Baolian's fierce gaze, he quickly closed his mouth and rushed into the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face. He came out in three minutes.
"Am I fast enough?"
Ten minutes later, Li Hao Chen had devoured his breakfast like a whirlwind and was then escorted to the car by Xie Baolian and Murong Yanran.
Upon arriving at the city's lottery center, Li Hao Chen had barely gotten out of the car when he was slapped. "Come back. You're going in like this?"
"Uh… otherwise, should I fly in?"
"Stop being silly. Take these with you." Xie Baolian took a pair of sunglasses, a full-coverage mask, and a baseball cap from her bag and handed them to Li Hao Chen.
Looking at these items, Li Hao Chen couldn't help but smile wryly. "Mom, do we really need all this just to collect this much money?"
"Just take it when I tell you to, stop with the nonsense. Hurry up."
Li Hao Chen chuckled wryly and reluctantly put them on. He looked like a robber.
He walked in. The staff at the entrance didn't laugh at Li Hao Chen's appearance; they were used to it. Instead, they were envious.
The process wasn't complicated. They just needed to verify the integrity of the lottery ticket, and after verification, fill in personal information and choose the payout method.
Once the procedures were completed, staff from the "Cross" immediately approached. It was voluntary, and there was no obligation to donate, but every winner would donate...
After donating, he was led out through another channel by the staff.
As soon as they got into the car, Li Hao Chen took off the mask, sunglasses, and hat, his head covered in sweat.
The two women looked at Li Hao Chen with sparkling eyes. "It's done?"
"It... it's done."
"Let's go… swipe our cards, hahaha!"